Insulating base, plug-on bus bar and connector assembly for circuit breaker panelboard

ABSTRACT

Each of a plurality of integral plug-on bus bar and connector body members is secured to an insulating base of a circuit breaker panelboard or load center by inserting a bus bar portion of the member through a barrier portion of the base and straightening an up-turned tang on the bus bar portion to dispose the tang in interlocking relationship with another portion of the base.

[72] Inventor:

United States Patent,

Stanback 1 [54] INSULATING BASE, PLUG-ON BUS BAR AND CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELBOARD Harris I. Stanback, Lexington, N.Y.

[73] Assignee: Square D Company, Park Ridge, 111. 221 Filed: June 9, 1971 211 Appl. No.: 151,216

' [52] US. CL... ..3 17/l18, 174/59, 339/198 N [51] Int. Cl. ..H0lr 9/16 [58] Field of Search ..l74/59; 317/118; 339/150 R, 339/150T, 198 R, 198 N [56] ReferencesCited Y UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,312,874 4/1967-1 Stanback ..33'9/198N' 1151 3,694,701 1 1 Sept. 26, 1972 3,093,773 6/1963 Cole ..339/l98 N FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 158,770 5/1957 Sweden "317/118 865,470 12/1952 Germany ..317/l18 Primary Examiner-Lewis H. Myers Assistant Examiner-Gerald P. Tolin Attorney-Harold J Rathbun and Paul .1. Rose [5 7 ABSTRACT in interlocking relationship with another portion of the base.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures [42 '/15 l l 12b 12c. 26 g 12 1 18a L" 1. 1; I I I PATENTEBszrznm 3.694.701

FIG-1 13 31 /1o INVENTOR. HARRIS 1. STANBACK with another portion of the base.

INSULATING BASE, PLUG-N BUS BAR AND CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELBOARD I This invention relates generally to circuit breaker panelboards or load centers, and more particularly to an insulating base, plug-on bus bar and connector assembly therefor in which integral plug-on bus bar, and connector body members are secured to the base by mechanical interlocking. 4

Formerly, integral plug-on bus bar and connector body members of circuit breakers panelboards were secured to an insulating base by threaded fasteners such as screws. In accordance with this invention, each integral plug-on bus bar and connector body member is secured to a base by inserting a bus bar portion of the member through an opening in a barrier portion of the base and straightening an up-turned tang on the bus bar portion to dispose the tang in interlocking relationship It is an object of this invention to provide an im- I proved insulating base, plug-on bus bar, and connector assembly for-a panelboard. I

Another object is to provide an improved means for securing an integral plug-on bus bar and connector body member'to. an insulating base of a circuit breaker panelboard; v

- Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent when the following specification" is considered along with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an insulating base and bus bar assembly constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an integral plug-on bus bar and connector body member before it, is assembled with the base.

With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses an assembly comprising an insulating base 11, a pair of integral plug-on bus bar and connector body members 1 2, and a neutral bar and terminal assembly 13.

The base 11, which is molded from suitable insulating material, has a bottom wall 14,a pair of side walls and 16, a pair of'end walls 18 and 20, a pair of inner transverse partition walls 22 and 24 spaced between the end walls 18 and'-20 and extending generally parallel thereto, an inner longitudinal partition wall 26 extending between the walls and 24 and intersecting the wall 22, an exterior partition wall 28 extending outwardly from the end 'wall 20, and a pair of spaced exterior partition walls 30 and 31 extending outwardly from the side wall 15. The side wall 15 is somewhat higher than the side wall 16, and terminates at one end at the end wall 18 but extends outwardly at the other end from the end wall 20 parallel to the partition wall 28.

The side walls 15 and 16 and the end walls 18 and 20 form a compartment 32 for reception of a pair of circuit breakers 33 one of which is indicated by broken lines in FIG. 2. The circuit breaker 33 is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 2,902,560, to which reference may be had if desired. Formed on the end wall 18 is an upper rounded portion 18a which co-acts with a plugon spring clip means of each circuit breaker to mechanically connect the load end of each circuit breaker to the base 11.

In the compartment 32 a generally upwardly sloping portion 34 of the bottom wall 14 joins a horizontal portion 35 connected to an upper portion of the wall 24,

and a boss 36 extending upwardly and downwardly from the portions 34 and 35 is provided with an aperture 38 for reception of a mounting screw (not shown) for the base. A recess 39 beneath the bottom wall 14 defines a pair of shoulders 40 which engage a supporting member (not shown) to prevent turning of the base 1 1 after mounting thereof.-

The exterior partition wall 28 is generally aligned with the wall 26 and is substantially of the same height as the end wall 20. The wall 26 intersects the end wall 20 and forms a barrier between line terminal means of a pair of mounted circuit breakers 33. The wall 22 has a pair of upwardly opening recesses 22a therein for a purpose to be described.

The neutral bar and terminal assembly 13 which forms nopart of the present invention is secured to the base 11 adjacent the outer side of the wall 15 in a manner fully'described in copending application, Ser. No. 151,215, filed June 9, 1971, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. w

The end wall 20 is provided with a pair of openings 42, one of which is indicated in FIG. 2. Thereby access to the compartment 32 is provided through the end wall 20.

Each, integral bus bar and connector body member 12, as best shown in FIG. 3, includes a connector body portion 12a in which a clamping screw 44 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is threadedly mounted and in which appropriate wire receiving openings are provided. A plug-on bus bar portion 12b extends from the connector b'ody portion 12a and terminates in a generally T-shaped tang portion the trunk of which is smaller in cross section than the bus bar portion 12b. Prior to assembly the tang portion 12c is bent upwardly as shown in FIG. 3.

To secure each integral bus bar and connector body member 12 to the base 11, the tang portion 12c and the bus bar portion 12b are inserted through a respective one of the openings 42 in the end wall 20. The tang portion 120 engages the inner partition wall 22 with the trunk of the T-shaped tang being received in a respective one of the upwardly opening recesses 22a. The tang portion 120 is then bent downwardly and the head of the T-shaped tang portion 12c is disposed on the opposite side of the wall 22 from the wall 20, thus securing the bus bar and connector body member 12 in assembled relationship with the insulating base 1 1. When the integral bus bar and connector body members 12 and the insulating base 11 are in assembled relationship, the circuit breakers 33 can be secured thereto, with plug-on line terminal jaw means of each circuit breaker gripping the plug-on bus bar portion 12b of the respective integral bus bar and connector body member 12 and plug-on spring clip means of each circuit breaker gripping the upper portion 18a of the end wall 18.

Various modifications may be made in .the structure shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. An electrical circuit breaker panelboard comprising an insulating base having a pair of spaced parallel wall portions of different heights, a taller one of the wall portions having an opening therethrough and a shorter one of the wall portions having an upwardly facing recess substantially in alignment withthe opening in the taller wall portion, and an integral plug-on bus bar and connector body member including a connector body portion disposed on theopposite side of 5 the taller wall portion from the shorter wall portion, a plug-on bus bar portion extending from the connector body portion through the opening in the taller wall portion toward the shorter wall portion, and a tang portion at an end of the bus bar portion opposite the connector 

1. An electrical circuit breaker panelboard comprising an insulating base having a pair of spaced parallel wall portions of different heights, a taller one of the wall portions having an opening therethrough and a shorter one of the wall portions having an upwardly facing recess substantially in alignment with the opening in the taller wall portion, and an integral plug-on bus bar and connector body member including a connector body portion disposed on the opposite side of the taller wall portion from the shorter wall portion, a plug-on bus bar portion extending from the connector body portion through the opening in the taller wall portion toward the shorter wall portion, and a tang portion at an end of the bus bar portion opposite the connEctor body portion, the tang portion having a trunk portion extending across the shorter wall portion and disposed in the recess therein and a head portion disposed on the opposite side of the shorter wall portion from the taller wall portion, the head portion cooperating with the shorter wall portion to retain the bus bar and connector body member and the base in assembled relationship.
 2. A panelboard as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tang portion is generally T-shaped. 